


Four Deaths...

by Ishmael_Autolycus



Series: The Deaths and Life of Jason Dean [1]
Category: Heathers (1988)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 03:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8473513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ishmael_Autolycus/pseuds/Ishmael_Autolycus
Summary: Four ways Jason Dean dies.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Strictly movie-verse.

"Cool guys like you out of my life."

He's not sure if he wants to scream at her or start laughing hysterically. It wasn't that long ago he was one of the dweebs being beaten up by Ram and Kurt, or whatever their names had been. Seven schools and they all start blurring together. But stop giving a fuck, add a long, black coat and a Harley, and top it all off with a crappy Jack-Nicholson-in- _Chinatown_ impression? Perfecto! Instant "cool guy". Fuck. Like Veronica- pretty, popular Veronica fucking Sawyer- would ever even have looked twice at dorky Jason Dean with his pet hamster and his Pop who wasn't a walking goddamn cliche of every fucking mustache-twirling, orphanage-closing evil developer ever and his Mom who used to make his favorite meal of meatloaf with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes with lots of butter every Sunday and didn't even leave a goddamn note! They were supposed to leave goddamn notes! Those were the fucking rules! They left notes so he'd know what the fuck he'd done that was so goddamn wrong that she- that she would- that she would-

He hauls himself up, half-expecting another bullet and not really caring, but the bitch is gone. The bomb's still here though, the numbers on the timer flashing red. Typical. Smart as she is, she never fucking thinks! He staggers over to the bomb and yanks the knife out, throwing it behind him.

The knife's done some damage, mostly to the timer, but if he hooks those two wires together it'll bypass the timer entirely and set the detonator off that way. Before he can think about it too much he reaches in and presses the two ends together. He tells himself in those last few seconds that he doesn't care if she makes it out or not.


	2. Chapter 2

The knife's done some damage, mostly to the timer, but if he hooks those two wires together it'll bypass the timer entirely and set the detonator off that way. He starts to reach in, then pulls back. The whole point of having a timer on the bomb had been so he would have time to get out. He's starting to feel a little woozy from the blood loss, so maybe take care of that first, find something better than this grimy towel, then fix the timer.

There's a box of rags in the corner, and he can't help but laugh after he pulls one out. It's a torn-off piece of a T-shirt with two lines of printing, _B_ above and _FU_ below that. "Sorry 'bout that, Martha. If it helps, I really did enjoy talking with you." He doesn't know if it was his using her to get to Heather Duke that was the last straw for her, not for sure, and it was for a good cause and all but still, it was a pretty dick move. He might be a killer, but he's not an asshole. It's harder than he thinks to tie a decent knot one-handed, and in the end he has to hold one end in his teeth to manage it.

The timer's not as badly damaged as he thought, but it won't go past 45 seconds, not nearly enough time to get away, not in the shape he's in. He doesn't mind dying, not really, but fuck if he wants to risk spending eternity with these assholes. He looks around for the bag he used to carry the bombs and- fucking terrific. Apparently not all of those paint cans had been completely empty- and why they hell had they been stacked up like that anyway- so now there's a layer of wet institutional-green paint coating the outside and the inside of the bag, because of course it had been wide open. There's a pegboard on the back wall, mostly empty but there's a roll of gaffer's tape hanging from one peg. He rolls his eyes even as he's taping the bomb to himself, because fuck if this isn't cliché as hell. He's down a hand though, pretty much, and the bomb's too big to fit in his pocket. He'll need his good hand for his bike. Maybe he'll go home- he's pretty sure his asshole father will be there- or maybe he'll head over to Veronica's and- Fuck. He figured she'd be gone, off tattling to one of the teachers or something, not waiting on the goddamn front steps of the goddamn school. Fuck. He knows when he's been beaten. All that's left is to make a good exit.

"Color me impressed. You, uh, you really fucked me up pretty bad, Veronica. You um- You got power. Power I didn't think you had." He can tell she doesn't quite understand, hasn't yet realized her victory, so he opens his coat and shows her the bomb. "The slate is clean," he tells her, flipping the switch that arms the detonator, then the one that starts the countdown. That seems as good a last line as any, so he turns and limps away.

It is a good line to go out on, but he still wants to know, so he stops and turns back to face her. "Pretend I did blow up the school- all of the schools. Now that you're dead, what are you going to do with your life?"

He's not really sure what the cigarette is supposed to mean but fuck it. He's never figured out why the hell she wanted to burn herself with that goddamn cigarette lighter either. Although to be honest his own reaction freaked him out a hell of a lot more, once he had time to think. Who the hell lights a cigarette off their girlfriend's burning- Oh. He never apologized for that, did he? Yeah, she might still be a little pissed. Although considering she just shot off his finger, they're probably even. Her arms are folded, and from the look on her face he figures there's no point in saying anything about it though. He's pretty sure he'll be the villain in whatever story she decides to tell, especially the one she'll tell herself. Maybe it's better if- What the hell is that goddamn beeping?

He can't see anything obviously wrong, so he gives the timer an experimental slap. That's enough to resume the countdown. Their eyes meet, but there's really nothing more to say. He closes his eyes again, lifting up his arms once more. He wonders if he'll see his Mom.


	3. Chapter 3

What the hell is that goddamn beeping?

He can't see anything obviously wrong, so-

"Damn it, JD." He looks up to see she's come down to the bottom of the steps. "It didn't have to be this way."

"You win, Veronica," he answers, not bothering to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Isn't that enough?" He smacks the timer, and it's enough to resume the countdown. "You might want to back up a bit. I plan on going out with a bang."

"You asshole." She shakes her head as she backs up the stairs, and he's surprised to see a tear sliding down her cheek. "You goddamn asshole."

He avoids her gaze by the simple expedient of closing his eyes, and lifts his arms once more. He wonders if he'll see-

"'Cause nobody loves you? I loved y-


	4. Chapter 4

He smacks the timer, and it's enough to resume the countdown. "You might want-"

She's on him before he even realizes she's moving, her fingers scrabbling on the switches. He shoves her away hard. "What the fuck are you doing?" He looks, and she's stopped the timer with two seconds remaining. "You fucking could have been killed!"

She looks up from where she's sprawled on the ground, and her voice is a sob. "JD, please. It doesn't have to be this way."

"Yeah." He shakes his head and takes a step back. "Yeah, it does."

"Wait!" She's up on her knees now, one hand reaching out. "You- You can get help-"

There's more after that, but it doesn't really register, something about doctors and how she can borrow money from her parents and- "Fuck you!" he screams. "I can get help? I can get help? Look in the fucking mirror, sweetheart. You were there for all of it, right from the fucking beginning, and no matter what bullshit story you try to tell yourself, you goddamn fucking well knew. Knew and fucking wanted it to happen. All of it." His vision is going gray at the edges, and he finds himself on his knees, not really sure how he got there. She's shaking her head, and her face is streaked with tears. He thinks he should probably hate her, but all he feels is tired. "Damn it, Veronica. I really thought we had something." He switches the detonator back on, letting the timer count down the last two seconds. "Guess I was wrong there too."


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait!" She's up on her knees now, one hand reaching out. "You- We-" She hesitates, drawing in a ragged breath, then a second. "You. And me. We've... done things. Things that maybe I- that maybe a- a part of me, might have... wanted to happen. A bit."

He freezes, foot half-lifted to take a second step back, and stares at her.

She smiles faintly. "Yeah." She's still on her knees, her eyes wide and intense. "But only a part. Not all of me. Just like I know there's more to you than just- just-" She gestures toward the bomb. "We can end this, JD. Please. No one else has to die."

He shakes his head. "Doesn't work that way." His vision is starting to go gray at the edges. "Too much... weight on the- on the wrong side of the scale. Have to... balance it out... somehow. And I'm... not too keen on jail." He finds himself on his knees as well, not really sure how he got there. "Always thought I'd... be the hero, saving the- saving the girl." He manages to summon up a smile. "Funny how that... worked out. You'd better get out of here, darlin'." He looks down, trying to bring the bomb into focus. "I'm going out with a bang."

"No!" She's in front of him, and he wonders why his hands aren't- Oh. She's holding them. He tugs, but her grip only tightens. "No. Damn it, JD, this isn't- this won't balance anything, you stupid fuck!" She's not wrong, not completely, but it's the best he can manage- if she would just do the smart thing and let go. He tries to tell her, but his vision has gone almost completely gray now, and he can feel himself falling side-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued in part two: _... And a Life (So Far)_


End file.
